At AWE I had the chance to lastly go hands-on with a bunch of 3D shows that don’t require you to put on any sort of glasses. It was loads of time that I wished to strive them (particularly The Wanting Glass), so I used to be joyful of getting had the chance to do it! And naturally, may I try this with out telling you about my expertise? After all not…

Sony 3D Show

The primary show I’ve been capable of strive has been on the Sony sales space. I don’t know the precise mannequin, however I believe it was the Spatial Actuality Show.

It was a display screen a bit smaller than the one among a laptop computer, that was rotated 45° levels with respect to the desk aircraft. Sitting in entrance of it and it, I may clearly see a personality in 3D showing in it. The 3D phantasm was of superb high quality, and I additionally appreciated the very vibrant colours. I may play a bunch of small demos made with completely different engines, some about gaming, some with small volumetric movies, and I believe that for all of them the 3D was of fine high quality. Taking part in interactive content material with the 3D impact may be very cool.

It was additionally fascinating that I may transfer in entrance of the show as a result of there was a monitoring digital camera in entrance of it that noticed my head place and altered the vantage level of the show in order that the 3D phantasm was out there all the time from my viewpoint. Throughout my head actions, I may see some artifacts on the display screen (e.g. some objects blurring or duplicating), however then as quickly as I keep mounted within the new place, the 3D phantasm was good once more. After all, if I moved an excessive amount of on the left or proper, the 3D wasn’t working anymore and I may see issues simply in a bizarre 2D.

Typically, I’ve discovered it to be a really nice expertise, and I particularly appreciated its vibrant colours. The fee for this machine is round $5K, I’ve been advised.

Leia 3D show

Previously years, I’ve obtained a number of press releases by Leia, and I do know it’s one of the crucial vital gamers within the 3D shows sector (it even created a pill with a 3D show), so I completely wished to strive one among its merchandise.

On the final second earlier than the present flooring at AWE was closed I used to be lastly capable of have a demo because of Karin Araman, Enterprise Developer at Leia. She kindly invited me for all the times at AWE to return to their sales space to have a demo of their units… and ultimately, I managed to return.

She confirmed me a demo display screen made by Leia which doesn’t correspond to an precise product available on the market, but. The demo was a bit just like the one I had at Sony: I attempted some video games, purposes, and movies, and I may see them in 3D with out carrying glasses. Right here too there was a digital camera on high of the show, in order that I may transfer in entrance of it and the show tailored to my new viewpoint. In the course of the actions, I may see some vibrational artifacts of the 3D components, too, however then they disappeared as quickly as I ended my head. The colours have been good additionally on this show (possibly barely much less vibrant than on Sony’s one, however I would wish a side-by-side examine to substantiate it).

I keep in mind that whereas I used to be critically evaluating precisely these traits of the show and evaluating them in my thoughts with the one of many Sony’s show, Karin jokingly advised me one thing like “Come on, present a bit of pleasure for the coolness of this 3D show!”. At that second, I noticed that whereas I’m reviewing issues, I’m a bit like Steven Seagal when he acts in his motion pictures (simply with much less damaged bones):

By the way in which, in my emotion-less evaluation of the Leia show, I appreciated particularly the customizability of the 3D impact. Essentially the most fascinating demo she confirmed me was a couple of shoe customization utility, during which I may see a part of the shoe popping out of the show and a part of it going within it, and I may change some configuration element of its (e.g. the colour, the feel, and so on…). Whereas the shoe customization half was one thing already seen a bazillion instances, there have been two particulars of the 3D impact that made me :

1. The shoe may seem in 3D in entrance of the show. Not all 3D shows could make issues seem in entrance, some can solely make it seem behind the show in 3D;
2. There was a slider to configure the “3D impact”. Shifting the slider, I may change the depth supplied by the stereo impact, and the sneakers could seem flatter or extra “exterior the display screen”. It’s related to note that I may additionally make it fully flat, so seem in 2D. Karin confirmed that one of many coolest issues about Leia shows is that they’re completely able to providing each 2D and 3D content material, which isn’t attainable on all of the shows (some can simply present both solely 3D content material or solely 2D content material).

It’s cool that I may additionally see 3D movies out of the field: Leia software program may take all types of 3D video codecs and make me see them with out carrying glasses. And plainly there was additionally a cool demo about somebody making an attempt a Quest, and the opposite individual seeing the mirroring of the VR expertise tried by that individual, however in 3D as a substitute of the usual flat video. I wasn’t capable of strive it, although, due to technical points (eh, my dangerous luck). I keep in mind my good good friend VR Nima (who seems to work at Leia) being accountable for that demo… I hope someday he’ll make me strive it!

Ultimately, my expertise with Leia shows was absolutely constructive, and I believe the nice repute it has within the discipline is properly deserved. The 3D was good, and I particularly appreciated the flexibility of the machine in operating completely different sorts of content material and of with the ability to configure its 3D depth.

Earlier than leaving the sales space, I thanked Karin for the demo and for the persistence she had in inviting me, and I promised her to write down one thing about it on my weblog (and as you’ll be able to see, I’m a person of his personal phrase). She checked out me in a stunned method and replied one thing that gave the impression of “What evaluate? What weblog? What are you speaking about?”.

Effectively, let’s say that I appreciated that for 3 days she invited only a random man to strive her product… this exhibits ardour and real love for what she is doing and the need to point out everybody the cool merchandise she’s half in constructing. I assumed she invited me to have evaluate, and as a substitute, that was not her primary purpose. That is good.

However this additionally implies that most likely now I ought to erase this a part of the publish, and it’s best to all overlook about it.

Wanting Glass Manufacturing unit

It’s quite a bit that I hear speaking about Wanting Glass Manufacturing unit, however I by no means had the event to see one among its merchandise. At AWE, there have been loads of its units seen within the sales space of the corporate, of all sizes and prices. And with them, there was additionally Bryan Chris Brown, who I do know just about since loads of time, however by no means met in actual life. It was good to hug him.

I’ve to actually say that my first influence with the Wanting Glass units has not been thrilling: the reason being that everybody described them to me as “spectacular”, “unbelievable” or different super-adjectives, so I anticipated to see one thing that might make my thoughts to blow up. However them, I had no explosions, so I used to be fairly dissatisfied. Generally I’ve to keep in mind that individuals get excited extra simply than me (see the above Steven Seagal chart) and tune my expectations accordingly.

One of many causes for which I’ve not been impressed instantly is that, as I’d have seen in a while, the performances of the Wanting Glass units differ quite a bit relying on the content material proven inside: some movies showcased there (like one with a dinosaur and one with a hen), didn’t seem tremendous polished or didn’t give a 3D impact adequate to be thrilling. The general end result will depend on the encoding, on how the stereo impact has been calculated, and different comparable traits.

After this preliminary second of disappointment, I used to be nearly leaving the sales space, when Bryan caught me and confirmed me the fitting demos to make me really recognize the machine. He confirmed me the 4K and 8K editions of the show, and let me see some cool content material on it, like a video a couple of luxurious watch, or a nonetheless a couple of cartoonish pink chocolate bar. With the fitting show measurement and the fitting content material, the 3D impact may be very cool, and it appears you’ve a field with some 3D stuff inside. The decision, the colours, every thing was capable of show that content material in the fitting approach to be compelling. With the fitting content material, the 3D objects inside appeared actually alive and with vibrant colours.

After which Bryan really managed to blow my thoughts a bit. He advised me “ah if you need, put a hand into the show”. I used to be like “What the hell…” after which I moved my hand and I used to be really capable of put it into the show field.

Simply to elucidate this higher: trying on the photos of Wanting Glass models and even once you see them in presence, they seem like small packing containers with 3D content material contained in the field. A bit like these glass parallelepipeds with figures inside that you just discover within the present retailers. However really, there is no such thing as a strong field. There’s a flat show, with a body round it, and the body is thick a number of centimeters, so there may be an “open field”, however there’s nothing that closes it, not even a glass. However the 3D results it creates it’s as if it’s a closed field with all of the 3D results occurring inside it. This optical phantasm confirmed me how Wanting Glass Manufacturing unit is ready to craft an excellent product… as a result of I completely believed that there was a 3D dimension of the field, however the 3D dimension was simply an phantasm of the show.

(e.g. within the video above, there is no such thing as a glass enclosing the field, and the show is solely on its again)

Returning to the kind of content material, I believe Wanting Glass shows are splendid to see one thing that has a excessive decision, has an excellent 3D impact, and particularly, that’s made to “match contained in the field”. One of the best content material in Wanting Glass is made so that you just see it dwelling in 3D inside that field. It isn’t made so that you just see one thing leaping at your head or issues like that. The cartoonish pink chocolate bar was cool as a result of it appeared that contained in the show field there was actually an enormous chocolate bar.

One other cool factor is that each machine has 45 to 100 vantage factors, so even with out a monitoring digital camera, you’ll be able to have a look at it from many alternative factors of view. Even higher, a crowd of individuals can have a look at a Wanting Glass machine altogether with all individuals having the 3D impact, so it’s optimum to make use of it as a advertising and marketing machine throughout exhibitions.

As for the costs, I’ve been advised the small Portrait unit is $399, the 4K one is 3,000$ and the 8k one is 20,000$.

The corporate has additionally lately launched two new merchandise. The primary one is a gigantic 65-inches holographic show. A mega-Wanting Glass. And the second, introduced at AWE, is Wanting Glass Blocks, a brand new format of 3D photos, seen in Wanting Glass units, however that may be peeked additionally inside a browser or a VR headset. It’s constructed on internet requirements so you’ll be able to view them in any fashionable internet browser, very like a GIF or JPEG. See as an illustration this cool embed beneath:

(In order for you a suggestion… strive shifting the mouse over the above chocolate picture… when you make it transfer, it may seem a bit in 3D to your eyes because of the Wiggle impact and depth from shading!)

Ultimately, now I’ve understood why everybody says that Wanting Glass Manufacturing unit is so cool: with the fitting content material and the fitting show sort, the 3D phantasm is properly made and visual to many individuals on the identical time. That is an incredible end result.

And that’s it for my journey with 3D shows! What’s your favourite one ultimately? Let me know within the feedback right here beneath or on my social media channels!

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